Design and Construction
The Catalina 30 Mk II measures 29.92 feet overall, with a 25-foot waterline and a 10.83-foot beam. Displacement is 10,200 pounds, including 4,200 pounds of lead ballast. That puts her slightly above average in weight for a modern cruiser-racer of her length.
The hull is hand-laid solid fiberglass. Its external lead keel is secured to the hull with stainless steel bolts, and the factory roughly faired the keel surface with polyester putty. The swept-back, fairly high-aspect-ratio fin keel reflects the IOR racing philosophy of the early 1970s. It’s paired with a high-aspect spade rudder, faired into the underbody with a small skeg.
The hull-to-deck joint is a practical assembly. An integral solid-wood sheerstrake laminated into the hull reinforces the connection, while fiberglass slurry fills the joint. A soft plastic rubrail, held by an aluminum extrusion and capped with stainless steel self-tapping screws, finishes the seam.
Plywood reinforces the laminate in high-stress areas, including the tops of the cockpit coamings where the winches are mounted. The completely lined interior gives the boat a clean finish, but it also prevents inspection of the internal structure.
Rig and Sailing Characteristics
The Catalina 30 is a masthead sloop with a straight-section aluminum spar and double lower shrouds. At least on older hulls, the rig has wooden spreaders. The mast is stepped on deck over a wooden compression column below.
The standard rig has an I dimension of 41 feet, a J of 11.5 feet, a P of 35 feet, and an E of 11.5 feet. Working sail area totals 446 square feet. The shrouds are far enough inboard for crew to pass outside them on the way forward.
Testers writing in Practical Sailor found the boat very stiff, although she rapidly develops weather helm when heeled, as many wide modern designs do. A shoal-draft version, drawing 11 inches less than the standard boat, proved popular in thin-water regions. Catalina also offered a taller rig for light-air areas.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The Mk II’s most notable change is its T-shaped cockpit. With wheel steering, it’s large and comfortable enough to seat the helmsman and four companions. There’s a large sail locker beneath the port cockpit seat, a smaller locker beneath the starboard seat, and a fair-sized lazarette properly separated from the under-cockpit space.
Below, the forward cabin has large, tapered V-berths that form a big double with a filler. In the main cabin, an L-shaped settee runs along the port side, with a straight settee to starboard. The table folds against the forward bulkhead.
The large U-shaped galley is to port and includes a standard gimbaled alcohol stove with oven and double sinks. A large double quarterberth extends beneath the starboard side of the cockpit, although headroom over its inboard half is barely more than a foot.
Deck Hardware and Standard Equipment
Standard equipment includes double lifelines, double bow and stern rails, and well-mounted teak grabrails. A small foredeck anchor well provides access to protected, hull-mounted running lights. The boat also has double bow and stern cleats without chocks, along with a manual bilge pump that can be operated from the cockpit.
Factory sails remained available at a lower cost than comparable options from racing sailmakers or national brands.
Known Issues
Period examinations identified several recurring structural and hardware weaknesses. Every boat examined had some play in the rudder stocks. All also showed local deflection at the top of the cabin trunk around the mast step, ranging from as little as 1/16 inch.
Some owners report leaking stanchions. The lifeline stanchions are through-bolted with washers rather than backing plates. The lower-shroud chainplate attachments were strengthened after the first hulls were built, a meaningful reinforcement for anyone assessing an early example.
The sliding companionway hatch is unnecessarily large. Because the main cabin bulkhead slopes forward, the drop boards can’t be left out for ventilation when it rains. A molded hatch at the front of the cabin trunk is also likely to leak in heavy weather.
Both the optional shower and the uninsulated icebox drain directly into the bilge. The engine occupies the lowest part of the bilge, where bilgewater can reach it.
Under power, the small diesel drives the boat at about 5 knots in a flat calm. However, it transmits substantial vibration through the unsoundproofed engine box, making the main cabin very noisy.
The Verdict
The Catalina 30 Mk II refines a thoroughly proven cruiser-racer platform with a more usable T-shaped cockpit and the Mk II construction lineage. She is stiff and well-mannered under sail, with a practical deck layout and a roomy interior for her size. However, structural deflection, rudder play, and drainage into the bilge deserve a buyer’s attention.
Pros
- Stiff, predictable handling with a well-developed masthead sloop rig
- Roomy accommodations, including a large U-shaped galley and convertible V-berths
- Reinforced chainplate attachments on later hulls
Cons
- Cabin-trunk deflection at the mast step on all boats surveyed
- Rudder-stock play and reports of leaking stanchions
- Shower and icebox drains empty into the bilge, where bilgewater can reach the engine
- Noisy motoring and substantial vibration from the unsoundproofed small diesel
